As Kimimaro slashed at him with a bone blade, Kaede raised his hand calmly to block it.
Crack!!
The blade, hardened to a degree surpassing steel by the power of the Shikotsumyaku kekkei genkai, collided with Kaede's palm, and it was as if it had struck something even tougher. Kimimaro's fingers vibrated violently from the impact, and visible cracks formed along the edge of the bone blade!
Kimimaro's eyes twitched in disbelief.
This was the first time he had encountered something harder than his own bone blades, and the worst part was, that "something" was just Kaede's hand.
That hand looked pale, smooth as jade, and completely human, not bone, not steel, nothing extraordinary to the eye.
It looked like an ordinary human hand.
"Oho, take it easy, Kaede. Kimimaro is one of my most promising subordinates."
Orochimaru called out with a grin. All his previous tension and caution had vanished, replaced by a relaxed, familiar tone.
Kaede smiled faintly, then swung his hand in a slicing motion toward Kimimaro's neck.
Crack!
A thick section of bone suddenly jutted out from Kimimaro's neck, blocking Kaede's hand chop. But the impact still sent his entire body flying sideways, the defensive bone left with a deep fracture.
Kaede stepped forward, raising his left hand again for another strike.
Crack!!
Kimimaro barely managed to cross his arms and block it, but Kaede's palm landed with such force that cracks split through the bones, and one of Kimimaro's feet was driven deep into the earth.
That seemingly light palm strike had the weight of a mountain behind it.
"This guy…"
Kimimaro's heart pounded.
Kaede was, without a doubt, the most terrifying taijutsu user he had ever encountered. He was overpowering Kimimaro's Shikotsumyaku bloodline with pure, physical might!
Despite his shock, Kimimaro no longer felt nervous, Orochimaru clearly knew this man. But even so, Kimimaro refused to back down.
He wouldn't lose to anyone.
He would become Orochimaru's most prized weapon.
A flash of determination lit up in his eyes. Kimimaro roared, wrenching his foot free from the ground, and kicked at Kaede's chest, a sharp bone spear bursting forth from his heel.
"Mmm, strong will."
Kaede caught the fire in Kimimaro's eyes, a will that refused to yield even when faced with overwhelming strength, and gave a small nod of approval.
Withdrawing his left hand, he slapped it downward, meeting the oncoming heel.
Crunch!!
That pale, jade-like hand looked ordinary, but it was tougher than steel. The spear from Kimimaro's heel didn't even pierce his palm. Instead, it shattered, its tip snapping off with a crack.
Kaede didn't budge an inch, while Kimimaro staggered back under the impact.
"Raaahhh!"
Kimimaro let out a shout, slamming his hands together. A massive bone spear formed in his grip. He raised it high overhead and brought it down with full force toward Kaede's head, the swing accompanied by a gust of wind that seemed to tear through the air.
Kaede smiled faintly.
Still using only his left hand in a blade-like pose, he swung upward toward the descending bone weapon.
BOOM!!
A deafening blast rang out.
The sheer force of the clash sent out a visible shockwave through the air.
Kaede stood there unmoving. Not even his fingers quivered, as if he'd blocked nothing more than a light breeze.
Kimimaro, however, felt as though he had struck a mountain wall. The recoil shook his entire body, his arms trembled, his hands went numb, and he nearly lost his grip on the bone spear.
Seeing Kimimaro still intent on attacking, Kaede calmly stepped back, then gently closed his hand into a fist and swung it toward him.
Kimimaro's pupils shrank.
He felt an overwhelming sense of death crash over him like a tidal wave. He tried to dodge, leaping to the side, but to his horror, the Kaede in front of him was only an afterimage.
The real Kaede had already appeared behind him.
That pale, flawless fist came crashing in from behind.
In that instant, Kimimaro felt utterly insignificant. The approaching blow felt like a mountain falling from the sky. Even the mere air stirred by its motion felt suffocating, locking his body in place.
That overwhelming pressure coalesced into a single, terrifying word in his mind,
Death.
BOOM!!!
Kaede's punch landed next to Kimimaro's head.
A wild, howling gale tore past him. His silver-white hair whipped backwards. The explosion of air in his ears was deafening, like the end of the world, and his thoughts blanked out completely.
He didn't know how long it was before the roaring wind finally stopped.
Kaede's fist relaxed, and he casually patted Kimimaro on the shoulder before flashing him a mild smile and walking past him toward Orochimaru.
Kimimaro's chest heaved.
He realized his back was drenched in sweat.
As he slowly recovered from the paralyzing fear, he noticed Haku staring at him, wide-eyed and frozen, as if he'd just witnessed something completely incomprehensible.
Kimimaro turned his head stiffly, bit by bit.
And what he saw…
…left his mind completely blank.
Behind him, the immense mountain wall that stretched for miles had been blown open. A clean rupture had split it from the center, forming a massive canyon that cut straight through to the other side.
In the heart of that long, unbroken range,
A gorge had been carved out.
Kimimaro stood frozen.
Haku was equally speechless.
Even Jiraiya looked a little dazed. He suddenly felt grateful… that Kaede hadn't used that punch on him earlier. If he had, there wouldn't have been a single trace of him left.
"…Long time no see, Orochimaru-sensei."
Kaede ignored the stunned looks from everyone else and walked up to Orochimaru. He gave him a nostalgic smile, then lightly flicked his finger, sending a ball of warm, golden senjutsu chakra into Orochimaru's body.
Orochimaru's pale face immediately regained color, and his weakened body began to recover at an astonishing speed. In mere seconds, his chakra stabilized, and his aura no longer felt like that of a dying man.
"…Divine power, is it?"
"To witness something like this with my own eyes…"
Orochimaru looked at the massive canyon where a mountain once stood. For the first time in a long while, a trace of awe showed in his eyes.
He muttered with a hint of wonder:
"Kaede… Ever since you gave up the Hokage seat, I've only had two obsessions. One was unlocking the secrets of immortality… and the other was seeing just how far your wind could blow."
"Though I've been away from the village, I've kept track of your deeds throughout the ninja world… and now, you've truly ascended to the heavens."
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Completed version available on Patreon.com/Veltoria